I’m a fan of character driven novels so I knew I’d found a good one when I couldn’t find one thing redeemable about any of the characters, yet I still cared about them.

Brothers John and Samuel, along with John’s girlfriend, Ashley, are the main protagonists, and none of them are good people. They kill indiscriminately, sometimes for nothing more than gas and snacks.

It was a simple plan. Deliver the car. Get the money. Done. But things don’t go that simply. As the killing begins, the law isn’t the only thing after them. And a bullet won’t work for what’s coming now.

The killing spree continues and Sam begins to suspect his brother, John, is lying to him. Is keeping something hidden. He’s losing control, acting even more violent than normal, and his girlfriend, Ash, seems to encourage it.

As minions from some kind of hell close ranks on them, as the law tightens the noose on their escape, the loyalty of the brothers is tested. Yes, their is loyalty. Their willingness to die for each other had me caring about them when I shouldn’t. I should wish them dead, and I often did. Yet, the author kept dropping in little bits about how much they’d gone through together, how they had no one but each other. And this had me also wishing they’d get through this alive.

It took a little while for the bad guys to reveal what they were and why they’re pursuing them. I got creeped out a few times when some of the scenes went weird. It was easy to visual after watching movies like Legion, where angels come down to exterminate man. Not that that’s what’s happening in this story. Just that creepy ice cream guy!

It also reminds of The First Power with Lou Diamond Phillips and Fallen with Denzel Washington. Both are favorites of mine and drawing on scenes from these movies made this book even scarier.

John has a big secret. Ashley has gone off the deep end, lusting to spill blood. And Sam is torn between backing his brother’s play and getting the hell away from them. It’s only going to end one way, right? A bloody show down with all of them dead. Perhaps.

A darn good book for those looking for some thrills and some out of this world chills and don’t mind a little blood spilled on the ride.

4 Stars

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A chilling quote from the book that gave me goosebumps!

“Three months ago I wasn’t afraid of anything. Now, I was scared of the five-year old girl sipping hot chocolate at the table next to me.”

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Book Description:

Sometimes, only bad guys can beat the Devil…

The plan is simple: get the money and deliver the car. What could possibly go wrong?

What can’t?

Things start to go south when Sam Drake realizes that his brother Johnny is hiding something, a secret about Sam’s troubled childhood that goes beyond his most feverish nightmares…

Then Johnny’s girlfriend, Ash, starts sending Sam the kind of mixed signals that can only lead to big trouble…

As the trio of small time crooks falls deeper into an abyss of betrayal and violence, they will discover that the greatest danger they face is not of this world.

With everything he believes about himself and the world around him shattered, Sam will become the unlikely champion in a battle with true evil, a fight to save a soul that has already been forfeited to darkness.

The silver barrel of the Colt .45 glimmered in Johnny’s hand. The obese clerk behind the counter held his arms up, eyes darting to each of our faces. His brown-stained, white t-shirt clung to his sweaty man tits. Moisture dripped off his scraggly goatee onto his protruding gut. The ceiling fan above him worked hard, trying to cool down the un-air-conditioned, Arizona shit-hole that smelled like armpits and rotting cheese. A large bullet hole from Johnny’s warning shot sat two feet from the clerk’s head, along with the standard wall of cigarettes and liquor bottles acting as a reminder of the poor bastard’s purpose in life.

Johnny’s smirking mouth twitched with excitement. He had a scary look in his eyes—a man possessed with rage.

Ash clung to him, her blond hair draped over his shoulder. Her hand gently palmed his shaved head as she leaned toward the side of his face.

She whispered something in his ear.

Butterflies sliced the inside of my stomach with razor wings. This wasn’t the way we did things. We were escalating. Normally, I kept everyone cool, levelheaded. All control had gone out the window.

Simple Bob behind the counter sobbed, looking terrified. Part of me felt pity for the guy, but it was too late to turn back. “I don’t wanna be a part of no trouble, now,” he said. “Why don’t y’all take what ya need and go? Please, I got a family.” He glared at Ash. Four kids.”

Johnny cackled. “Family? You hear this guy, Sammy? He’s got a fuckin’ family.” Johnny gestured toward me. “That’s my family over there. My little brother. I practically raised the pecker. Parents were killed… come to think of it—by a fat, drunk piece of shit like you. So don’t talk to me about family.”

I glanced at the clock above the entrance—eight minutes had passed. “Johnny, come on man.”

Ash sneered at me. “Not now. This is grown up time. Go grab us some food or something.” Her dismissive tone dug into my nerves.

“Go fuck yourself!” I spat. The last thing I needed was that crazy bitch feeding Johnny’s frenzy.

“Quit it, bro. I got this,” Johnny said.

As usual he sided with the short jean shorts and tight, red tank top—a little cleavage and ass were all it took for him to forget about his own brother. “Get the cash and let’s go,” I said. “Stop messing around.”

Johnny glanced at me. “You think you could do better?”

I froze, unable to come up with a response, probably because I knew I couldn’t. Johnny took care of the hold-up. I collected the goods and kept us on point. That was our system, and it worked. Ash, on the other hand, was new to the mix. All she managed to do was waste time and get Johnny more amped than a rabid pit bull on cocaine. How he decided that was helpful, I have no idea. Things ran smooth before she stuck her pretty ass in the mix. Now instead of in-and-out with hands full of cash, we were wasting time scaring some poor, fat slob half to death. And for what, I wondered, shits and giggles?

I glanced back at the clock. Ten minutes in, and we were still dicking around. I started to tell Johnny our time was running out. From the corner of my eye, the clerk reached beneath the counter.

“Hey!” Ash shouted before I could react.

Johnny swung his arm, smacking the butt of the gun across the fat bastard’s face. “What did I tell you? Huh!”

The clerk stumbled back. The weight of his body slammed into the wall of cigarettes and cigars. He slid to the floor as dozens of boxes rained down around him.

My heart pounded. I took several deep breaths. We’d never had a close call like that before.

Ash pulled out her butterfly knife and flipped it open. “We need to deal with him.”

Johnny clenched his jaw as he leaned over the counter, pointing the gun. “Get up! Now!”

The blubbering man slowly rose up, his hands in the air, snot dripping from the pubes on his chin.

“What’s your name, buddy?” Johnny asked, switching to a calmer tone.

“T-T-Tony.”

With a big smile on his face, Johnny slammed his fist on the counter. “Tony! That’s a strong name. Like Tony fucking Soprano.”

Tony jumped and backed into the wall behind him again. His flabby arm knocked down a couple liquor bottles. He flinched as the glass shattered on the tile floor. I reminded myself to at least swipe some good booze when we were done.

Johnny grabbed the knife from Ash’s hand and gave her the gun. “Hold this for me, baby.”

I glanced at the clock—twelve minutes. “Bro, we’re coming up on fifteen. Forget him. You don’t have to do this.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere. We’re fine! And for the record,” he twirled the blade in his hand, “I’ll do whatever the fuck I want!”

I’d had it with Johnny’s unchecked arrogance. He always screwed with people, but he didn’t hurt anyone unless he had to. Tony may have been a liability, but if we’d stuck to the plan it wouldn’t have come to this.

Thirteen minutes.

Ash put her arm around Johnny, resting the gun on his shoulder, conveniently pointing it at my face.

I took a step toward the counter, out of the line of fire. No way I trusted that bitch with a gun in her hand.

She flashed a smile in my direction.

“Put your hand out on the table.” Johnny said.

Tony extended his shaking arm. Johnny grabbed his wrist, pulled him forward, and slammed his hand onto the counter.

Johnny’s finger shot up, motioning me to be quiet. “Tony. I’m going to teach you a little lesson in trust.”

About the Author:

Andrew’s a horror fiction writer who is also a massive fan of the genre. He’s been writing short stories and working on his novel for over 5 years. He has several short stories published, as well as some editing credits. He moderates a writing workshop in Phoenix, AZ where he’s been exposed to many different forms of fiction, which have broadened his influences. He aims to write stories that creep out his readers, while offering well-developed, rich characters they can sink their teeth into. He’s also a fan of experimenting with form and structure to create something uniquely my own.

Andrew grew up on Long Island in New York, and has lived in Arizona for the past 7 years. His professional background is in psychology where he’s carved out a nice career for himself. However, writing has always been his passion.

Currently, he’s hard at work, developing additional content to publish. He hopes to find an audience that loves the genre, and is up for a good scare.